Hermon ski resort reopens after war-forced closure of nearly a year and half
Though no skiing possible due to damage to lifts from rocket fire during war with Hezbollah, and low levels of snow, operators welcome revival of iconic resort site
The Mount Hermon ski resort in northern Israel reopened on Tuesday nearly a year and a half after it was forced shut by Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel.
Though operators celebrated opening the gates, the site is not able to offer the snowy attractions of the past as rocket fire from Lebanon damaged the ski lifts to the top of runs, and an unusually mild winter failed to deposit much snow. In addition, there was wariness of the possibility of unexploded munitions lurking on the ground.
Snow was shoveled down from upper levels to give visitors something to play with, Hebrew media reported.
“We waited for this moment too long and we welcome it,” said Raphael Naveh, director of the Hermon ski site.
Naveh said the beginning of March is already considered the end of the season, “but we didn’t give up on the opportunity to allow Israel’s citizens to come back north to the Hermon and at the same time move the wheels of the economy and tourists in the Galilee and Golan.”
Entry fees are NIS 42 ($11.50) for adults and NIS 36 ($9.88) for those under the age of 12.
The military shut down the site on October 7, 2023, with the start of the devastating Hamas attack on southern Israel amid concerns the Hezbollah terror group could attempt a similar invasion in the north. The Iran-backed terror group began firing missiles and drones at Israel on October 8, 2023, forcing the evacuation of some 60,000 residents.
One of those who returned to the Hermon site, not as a visitor, but as a worker, was Ibrahim Ibrahim, whose son Jifara Ibrahim, was among 12 children who were killed by a Hezbollah rocket that hit a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in July last year.
Opening of the site, he said, gives him strength.
“I feel better now that they called me to come back to work, and that I’m going back to my home,” Ibrahim told Army Radio.
“From the highest place in the country I call for all of Israel to return home with the hostages,” he said, referring to hostages who were among 251 people abducted from Israel during the Hamas attack and who are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip.
Deputy Director of the Hermon site Miki Inbar told Haaretz that he had previously “written off this season.”
However, in December, administrators were told they could open in March.
“We are happy and excited to finally open,” Inbar said.
He noted the dearth of snowfall and that there is no skiing, but said it is still important that the site reopened.
With tourism to the north wallowing due to the war, “all eyes are on the Hermon,” he said. “The site is the central anchor for the regional economy. The Hermon is a significant economic engine here.”
He said that both ski lifts were hit by fire from Lebanon. In addition, the site became a military base with heavy equipment moving about, damaging the parking lot and other areas.
The military and Israeli Police have instructed visitors to keep an eye out for any unexploded munitions.
There is still a heavy military presence to provide security, with some of the troops involved reportedly based at an Israel Defense Forces post that was set up in the Syrian section of Mount Hermon as part of a buffer zone Israel established after the fall of the Assad regime to rebel forces in December.
“Over the past few months, forces have conducted ongoing situation assessments, alongside defense activities in cooperation with security and civilian elements to maintain a high level of readiness while dealing with daily challenges in the field,” the IDF said on Sunday.
“As part of the operational preparations, security conditions were achieved that allow visitors from all over the country to come to the Hermon site,” the IDF statement read.
The fighting with Hezbollah escalated in an open war by September 2024, which ended in November after an Israeli offensive decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and its fighting abilities.
Mount Hermon drew 400,000 visitors in the winter of 2022-2023.
The Times of Israel Community.